1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to game machines, and in particular, to machines that can shoot a ball and can be played without an attendant.
2. Description of Related Art
Games of chance are very popular and gambling is becoming legal in more jurisdictions. In casinos many such games are run by a casino representative such as a croupier or dealer. Because of the large amount of funds involved, a second casino representative may observe the play to preclude any improper or dishonest activity.
Popular games of chance often involve propelling or throwing an object and observing an outcome. For example dice can be rolled and their markings observed when they come to rest.
A conventional roulette wheel will have 36 numbered compartments and one or two additional compartments marked 0 and 00. Bets are placed on a long table marked with a grid that allows players to place wagers on individual numbers or on combinations of numbers. After bets are placed, the roulette croupier will spin the roulette wheel and roll a ball along its periphery, allowing the ball to tumble across the compartments of the wheel, finally coming to rest in one of the marked compartments.
For all of these manually played games, the casino employees must observe the winning outcome while still making sure none of the gamblers change any of the previously placed bets. After ascertaining the outcome, the losing chips must then be gathered and winnings delivered to the winning players. All of this activity must be done quickly and precisely, knowing that errors can result in significant funds being misapplied. Understandably, the casino employees running these games operate under stressful conditions and must be highly skilled. The salaries for running these games of chance are a significant percentage of the casino's overhead.
Salary overheads are essentially eliminated with some automated games of chance such as slot machines. Modern slot machines are computer-controlled and the traditional mechanical wheels have been replaced by virtual wheels appearing on a computer-driven display. These slot machines are able to accept funds from a gambler and automatically add and subtract from this fund based on the player's wins and losses.
All the sights and sounds produced by automated games of chance are designed to attract players and maintain their interest. Still, many players become bored with an automated machine lacking any visible mechanical apparatus such as a traditional roulette wheel.
See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,824,647; 2,104,740; 2,127,261; 3,090,623; 3,818,628; 4,391,442; 4,735,416; 4,840,375; 4,869,505; 4,906,005; 5,332,217; 6,083,105; 6,520,854; 6,824,463; and D391,994.